The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-03
RAIL WAY STATISTICS.
The Progress Mad Q in the United States
in the Year 1886.


in the Year 1886.
Poo1's Manual for the current year, just
issued, in its summary, says;
The number of miles of railroad con-
structed in the United States in 1886 was
9,000 the aggregate mileage for the whole
country completed at the close of the year
being 1896; the rate of increase during
the year being x per cent. The mileage,
not including elevated roads, from which
returns from earnings and traffic operations
for the past year were received equaled
125, l47 miles, against 1913, 10 miles for 1885.
The share captal of all the railroads
making returns, including the elevated
railroads, euualed 1898, sos, 50S, against
SO, Sl7 ,697 .S32 for 1885; their funded debts,
s., So, ! 66, $50, against So, 765, 721 ,066 for
1885; their unfunded debts, $3.50, 673, Sl4,
against $3.50 10S ,2Sl for 1885. The amount
of share capital and indebtedness of all the
companies for 1886 equaled So 1853, 14S, 652,
against 81, S42, 1888, 40 for 1885, the increase
equaling 1920, 615, 473, the rate of increase
being about 400 per cent. The earnings
from freight equaled $3.50, 1896 from
passengers, S211 ,929, S57; from miscellaneous
sources, $50, sos, 03S. The operating ex-
Denses of all the roads for the year equaled
SPAS ,334, the net earnings being 5297,
81, 6l5. The gross earnings upon the entire
capital invested exceeded 10 per cent. the
net nearly equaled 35 per cent. The
amount of interest paid the past year
equaled $3.50, ,304, against S1S7 ,426, 095
for 1885; of dividends, ss1 1884. 1873, against
ST, 672, 105 for 1885. The percentage of in
terest paid on the funded debts of the COM
panieS the past year equaled 4.75 per cent
against An per cent for 1874. The per-
centage of dividends paid to the whole share
capital equaled 204 per cent, against 2.02
per cent for 1885. The earnings per mile of
lines operated the past year equaled $50,
against 50, 265 per mile for 1885, the increase
per mile equaling 1905, the rate of increase
per mile being 400 per cent.
The general results of the operations of
the railroad system of the country may be
briefly summarized as follows The traffic
operations for the year-the passenger and
freight movement-were largely in excess
Of any previous year, but the increase in
the volnme of traffic was nevertheless little
above the average increases of past years,
and is indicative of a healthy revival in the
business of the country, and a continuance
of its development rather than of any ex-
traordinary movement due to speculative
causes.
1t will be observed that in both passenger
and freight traffic the rates per ton per mile
and the average carrying distance of each
fell off a trifie, so that were it not for the
increased movement of persons and mer-
chandise the earnings would have shown a
decrease. The gradual reduction of
freight and passenger rates is, how
ever, natural sequence to the
growth of the country During the
past year this decrease was less noticeable
than formerly, for the reason that rates are
now so low i'll the average as to admit Of
but very little further decrease.
The earnings of the year, when compared
on a mileage basis with the average Of
1885, show large increases, but yet fall
very much short of the average of 1884 and
1888. This may he accounted for in some
measure by the fact that a large extent of
the mileage constructed in recent years has
been through long stretches of compara-
lively undeveloped country, and again by
the fact of the construction of duplicate
parallel lines
The exhibit of earnings is made still more
gratifying by the reduction in the cost of
operating the roads, the total cost in 1886
being 63.4 per cent, of gross earnings,
against 65. II per cent. in 1885: the reduction
being due chiefly to improved methods and
the introduction of necessary economies.